An overly broad pronoun reference occurs when the antecedent of a pronoun is one or more general ideas or concepts instead of a single noun or simple noun phrase. Examples:
The train finally arrived late and jam packed, so we were late. It was a hassle.
- What was a hassle? The train's lateness, that it was full, or that it made you late? 'The whole situation was a hassle.' should be used instead of the pronoun'it'. You can say, 'The whole situation was a hassle. It spoiled my day.' In this case, the clear antecedent for the pronoun 'it' is 'situation'.
When the car hit the mailbox, it was damaged.
- What was damaged, the car, the mailbox, or both? Instead of '...it was damaged.', use '...the mailbox was damaged.', or '...both were damaged.'
